Attorney-General, Justice Minister reappointments welcomed

The reappointments of Senator the Hon George Brandis QC as Attorney-General and Hon Michael Keenan MP as Justice Minister have been welcomed by the Law Council of Australia.

The reappointments of Brandis and Keenan were announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday. In a statement, the Law Council of Australia congratulated the officials and anticipated that the organisation will further its positive working relationships with both.

“The Law Council is grateful for the close and cooperative relationship we have enjoyed with Senator Brandis over the course of the last Parliament,” said Stuart Clark, president of the council.

“It is a relationship that has been characterised by openness and constructiveness and we look forward to it continuing to strengthen.”

Keenan, who is also reappointed Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism, was also congratulated.

Meanwhile, the Law Council also put forth policies it considers as priorities in the next Parliament.

The policies identified include ending Australia’s legal aid funding crisis and convening a national summit to address the chronic shortage of legal professionals working in rural, regional, and remote communities.

It also said that ensuring counter-terrorism laws are consistent with rule of law principles and providing adequate funding for federal courts and tribunals should be priorities.

Furthermore, the council said that identifying and implementing measures designed to reduce domestic and family violence, working toward abolishing mandatory sentencing laws across the board and implementing strategies to address alarming rates of Indigenous imprisonment and victimisation should be key policies.

Stuart said that the council looks forward to discussing these priority areas in the coming months.